Wrist exerciser

ABSTRACT

A pair of slightly conical, hollow and substantially identical hand grips are sleeved at their adjacent ends snugly upon the opposite ends of a connecting member for relative rotation. Nut and bolt members extending lengthwise within the grips engage transverse wall sections within the grips for adjusting the frictional engagement of the grips with the connecting member. Additional, larger and hollow hand grips can be mounted upon the smaller hand grips to increase the diameter of the manually gripped surfaces.

United States Patent [191" Rooks I Oct. 9, 1973 WRIST EXERCISER [76] Inventor: J. F. Girard Rooks, 1550 Mawmee Rd., St. Joseph, Mich. 49022 [22] Filed: Feb. 2, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 329,029

[52] US. Cl 272/67, 272/79 D, 272/DIG. 3 [51] Int. Cl A63b 21/22 [58] Field of Search 272/67, 68, 79 D,

272/83 A, 84, DIG. 3

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,604,333 10/1926 Anderson .272/67 3,666,267 5/l972 McKinney ..272/67 FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS 5,313 8/1905 Great Britain 272/68 498,994 1/1939 Great Britain 272/84 Primary Examiner-Anton O. Oechsle Assistant ExaminerR. T. Stoufier Attorney-Woodhams, Blanchard and Flynn [5 7] ABSTRACT A pair of slightly conical, hollow and substantially identical hand grips are sleeved at their adjacent ends snugly upon the opposite ends of a connecting member for relative rotation. Nut and bolt members extending lengthwise within the grips engage transverse wall sections within the grips for adjusting the frictional engagement of the grips with the connecting member. Additional, larger and hollow hand grips can be mounted upon the smaller hand grips to increase the diameter of the manually gripped surfaces.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures WRIST EXERCISER This invention relates in general to a device for use in exercising the hands, wrists and/or arms of a human being and, more particularly, to a type thereof in which the diameter of the manually gripped surfaces and the resistance to relative rotation thereof can be easily adjusted.

Devices for use in exercising the hands, wrists and/or arms are well known and have been widely used for therapy, for increasing strength and merely for healthful exercise. However, existing devices of the general type disclosed herein have had twomain drawbacks, namely, their manually gripped surfaces are relatively fixed in diameter and/or their resistance to relative rotation cannot be readily and accurately adjusted.

In the area of therapy, it is known that the diameter of the manually gripped surface may require changing during the course of treatment. Also the resistance to rotation may also require periodic adjustment. For example, the patient may not be able, following an accident, to grasp initially a hand grip of a small diameter. Thus, it is desirable to start with a large diameter grip and work down.

Also, there may be occasions where a larger hand grip is required for one hand than for the other.

Accordingly, a primary object of this invention is the provision of a manually engageable device for use in exercising the arms, wrists and/r hands of a human be- A further object of the invention is the provision of a device, as aforesaid, which can be readily adapted to grips of various sizes by changing the diameter of the gripping surfaces, and in which the resistance to the 'exercising movement, here rotational, can be easily adjusted without the use of specialtools.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device, as aforesaid, which is of simple and inexpensive construction, which is completely safe for use by anyone capable of operating it, and which can be autoclaved after use.

Other objects and purposes of the invention will become apparent to persons familiar with devices of the general type disclosed herein upon reading the description and examining the accompanying drawings, in

which:

FIG. I is a side elevational view of an exercising device embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II--II in FIG. 1.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The objects and purposes of the invention, including those set forth above, have been met by providing a substantiallytubular device including a pair of slightly conical hand grips resistively rotatably and telescopically mounted at their adjacent ends upon a substantially cylindrical connecting member. The hand grips and connecting member are adjustably held together by nut and bolt means. Enlarged hand grips can be telescopically mounted upon the aforementioned hand grips to increase the diameter of the manually gripped surfaces.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The exercising device 10, a preferred embodiment of which is disclosed in FIGS. 1 and 2, comprises a pair of hand grips 11 and 12, which are preferably substantially identical, a connecting member 13 and a bolt 14 with a nut on the threaded end.

The left hand grip II, for example, is hollow, open at both ends and, in this embodiment, has a slightly conical outer surface 22 which converges toward its outer or leftward end. However, said outer surface 14 could be exactly cylindrical. The grip 11 has a transverse wall 16 near to, but spaced from, the small, outer end of the grip. The wall 16 has a central opening 17 with an enlarged portion 18 at its outer end of hexagonal configuration for receiving and nonrotatably holding a nut 19. The bolt 22 is received through the opening 17 for engagement with the nut 19.

The internal-surface 23 of the grip 11 is circular in cross section and diverges away from the wall 16. The internal surface 24 of the grip II is also circular in cross section and diverges outwardly from the wall 16.

The grip 12 has a wall 16A with a central opening 17A through which the bolt 22 extends. A washer 26 covers the enlarged portion 18A so that the head 27 of the bolt 22 will not wear into said portion 18A. The grip 12 has internal surfaces 23A and 24A which-are preferably identical with the corresponding surfaces in grip 11.

The external surface of the connecting member 13 tapers convergingly toward both ends from about the center thereof so that its two tapered surfaces 28 and 29 correspond in slope to the tapers of the internal surfaces 23 and 23A, respectively, on the grips II and 12. This arrangement affords an extended, telescoping contact between the connecting member 13 and the grips 11 and 12, which contact'produces a controllable friction, hence resistance. to the relative rotation, between these elements.

FIG. 3 illustrates an enlarged hand grip 32, which mounts upon the smaller hand grip II in order to provide a larger manually gripped surface. The grip 32 is hollow, slightly conical and open at its larger end. An integral, annular end wall, 33 partially covers the small end of the grip 32 and it has an integral, inwardly projecting and cylindrical extension 34 with a slightly conical outer surface 36 which is snugly but removably, and telescopically engageable with the internal surface 24 on the. grip 11. By this means, the grip 32 can be quickly mounted upon the grip 11 for rotation therewith. The diameter of the grip 32 can be selected as desired.

It will be apparent that another grip, like grip 32 and of the same or a different diameter, can-be mounted upon grip 12 in the manner set forth above with respect to grip II.

The grips 11,12 and 32, and the connecting member 13 are all preferably made from a shock resistant plastic capable of being autoclaved.

Although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail above for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus, including the rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the present invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A device for use in strengthening the arms, wrists and hands ofa human being, comprising: a pair of substantially identical, hollow and slightly conical hand grips, whereby each grip has a large end and a small end, both grips being open at both ends thereof, each grip having a transverse wall intermediate the ends thereof, said wall having a central opening therethrough;

a substantially cylindrical connecting member having two external, circumferential surfaces, joined together at one end, wherein each circumferential surface converges slightly from a first diameter at its joined end to a slightly smaller diameter at its free end, said external surfaces being snugly and movably engageable with corresponding internal surfaces at the adjacent ends of said hand grips, said connecting member having a central opening aligned between and with the central openings in said walls when said internal surfaces of said pair of hand grips are engaged with said external surfaces of said connecting member; and

bolt means extending through said central openings,

said bolt means having head means at one end adjacent the outer side of the transverse wall in one grip.

and nut means on the other end adjacent the outer side of the transverse wall in the other grip, whereby the frictional resistance to relative movement between said internal and external surfaces can be adjusted.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the internal surface of each grip at the small end thereof diverges from the wall toward the small end of the grip; and including a pair of second, hollow hand grips open at one end of each and having a transverse wall at the other end thereof, said end wall having an integral and axially inwardly projecting cylindrical extension spaced from and substantially concentric with said hand grip, the radially outer surface of said cylindrical extension converging toward its axially inner end for snug, removable engagement with the internal surface at the small end of the first-mentioned hand grip, whereby said second hand grip increases the diameter of the gripping surface of the device.

TED STATES PATENT UFFICE (JER'HMQAT 0F CQRECTION Patent No. 3 764 131 Dated October 9 1973 Inventor(s) J. F. Girard Rooks It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

IN THE TITLE Please delete "WRIST".

IN THE CLAIMS Claim 1, line 4 delete "whereby each grip has a large end and a small end, both grips being" Claim 2, line 1; after "wherein" insert ---each grip has a small end and a large end and wherein-.

Signed and sealed this 30th day of April 19714..

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD MELETCHERJR. C. MARSHALL. DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents FQBM PC4050 (10-69) USCOMM-DC wanan v U.S, GOVERNMENT PRINIING OFFICE 2 "CI O-JlQ-S, 

1. A device for use in strengthening the arms, wrists and hands of a human being, comprising: a pair of substantially identical, hollow and slightly conical hand grips, whereby each grip has a large end and a small End, both grips being open at both ends thereof, each grip having a transverse wall intermediate the ends thereof, said wall having a central opening therethrough; a substantially cylindrical connecting member having two external, circumferential surfaces, joined together at one end, wherein each circumferential surface converges slightly from a first diameter at its joined end to a slightly smaller diameter at its free end, said external surfaces being snugly and movably engageable with corresponding internal surfaces at the adjacent ends of said hand grips, said connecting member having a central opening aligned between and with the central openings in said walls when said internal surfaces of said pair of hand grips are engaged with said external surfaces of said connecting member; and bolt means extending through said central openings, said bolt means having head means at one end adjacent the outer side of the transverse wall in one grip and nut means on the other end adjacent the outer side of the transverse wall in the other grip, whereby the frictional resistance to relative movement between said internal and external surfaces can be adjusted.
 2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the internal surface of each grip at the small end thereof diverges from the wall toward the small end of the grip; and including a pair of second, hollow hand grips open at one end of each and having a transverse wall at the other end thereof, said end wall having an integral and axially inwardly projecting cylindrical extension spaced from and substantially concentric with said hand grip, the radially outer surface of said cylindrical extension converging toward its axially inner end for snug, removable engagement with the internal surface at the small end of the first-mentioned hand grip, whereby said second hand grip increases the diameter of the gripping surface of the device. 